1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plate-shaped safety component made of a composite material with support elements disposed in opposite end regions of the component for anchoring it to a supporting structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Passive safety components of this type are used primarily in the manufacture of automobiles for protecting against collision. When acted upon by a force, such components also undergo a specific deformation in extension to absorb the requisite amount of energy, which force-path conditions are subject to specific manufacturing standards. Safety components made of composite materials which generally consist of a core material, preferably polyurethane-hard foam encased by a layer composed of a fiber-resin-matrix, preferably epoxy- or PUR-resin combined with carbon-, glass or aramide fibers, are as a rule clearly superior to a comparable component made of metal with regard to rigidity versus weight. However, problems have resulted heretofore due to a lack of flexibility of the materials being used. Given a composite material of suitable design, such material can normally easily absorb the amount of force required to comply with applicable safety standards and to achieve the requisite amount of flexure, yet, when a force is applied, the requisite deformation of extension remains insufficient. Hence, even composite components having such characteristics fail to achieve the desired compatibility with predominantly metal materials used in automobile manufacturing, such as steel or aluminum.
Tests have shown that the attachment of the safety component to the vehicle body or to another supporting structure, and hence the actual force path, represents the weak point in the overall design, in which known support elements used for anchoring, so-called inserts made of fiber-reinforced plastic or aluminum, are intended to form a high-strength connection to the supporting structure, and it is this high-strength connection which causes the component as a whole to fail. The obvious step of reinforcing this connection to the vehicle body is untenable, however, since such reinforcing would mean further reinforcing the vehicle design, thus making the vehicle correspondingly heavier and stiffer.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a plate-shaped safety component of the aforementioned kind which is distinguished by a novel anchoring concept and which allows for the requisite deformation in extension when acted upon by a force.
The object of the invention is achieved by the use of support elements that include bearing members made of a honeycomb material which are disposed in at least one end region, are pressure loaded as a result of the anchoring forces, and the honeycomb axes which are aligned in the respective direction of anchoring force. By utilizing bearing members made of a honeycomb material for anchoring and aligning said honeycomb material in the direction of the anchoring force, the honeycomb material is compressed when appropriately pressure loaded. This produces a deformation in extension wherein the connection between the safety component and the supporting structure remains intact. Thus, as the bearing members are crushed, a deformation in extension necessary for the requisite force-path-ratio of the safety component is achieved. It is possible, e.g. for purposes of changing specific design standards, to modify the compressive force that acts upon the bearing members as well as related deformation changes by altering various parameters during manufacture of the bearing members, e.g. the height and thickness of the honeycomb material, the sheet material used in the honeycomb, and the like. Honeycombs are ideally suited for absorbing energy in a controlled, uniform manner and they are non-resilient. They ensure a desirable connection between a safety component and the supporting structure; moreover, such a connection is also adaptable to varying conditions.
Fuller control of the anchoring connection is made possible by using bearing members which consist of at least two honeycomb sections separated from one another by an interstitial layer and inserted between two outer facing surface layers, and in which a step-by-step deformation in extension is caused by the anchoring force as a function of the inserted honeycomb sections. It is necessary for the force to impact the bearing members at a planar angle in order to achieve optimum effect and to ensure that the individual honeycomb sections are compressed in a uniform manner.
It is not necessary to anchor every safety component to a rigid supporting structure, such as a vehicle body; rather it is also feasible to tether one or more safety components to one another in order to provide all-around protection to a vehicle or the like. In such case, the individual safety components are chain-linked together and may be mounted around the front and sides of the vehicle, thus providing protection especially against a frontal impact.